Current Affairs This Week (09-12-2018)

December 2: International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
To raise awareness about slavery and its impact on the society. This day marks adaptation of resolution ‘Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Prostitution of Others’ by United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 2 December 1949.

First India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit held in New Delhi
It was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in association with Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Ministry of External Affairs. Explore avenues of cross country partnerships with Indian R&D-based enterprises.

NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft asteroid Bennu’s 1st visitorCarbon-rich asteroid Bennu, which could hold evidence dating back to the beginning of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago, is an astronomical time capsule. It is the first U.S. attempt to gather asteroid samples for return to Earth, something only Japan has accomplished so far.

Soyuz: first manned mission to ISS since October failureThe spacecraft entered the orbit and will stay on course for six-and-a-half months. A Soyuz rocket carrying Russian, American and Canadian astronauts took off from Kazakhstan and reached orbit on Monday, in the first manned mission since a failed launch in October.

Train 18: The country’s ‘fastest train’Train 18 exceeds 180 kmph.The stability of water bottles at this speed is testament to the quality of workmanship and design of our engineers. India’s first engine-less train-breached the 180 kmph speed threshold test run in the Kota-Sawai Madhopur.

India’s longest rail-road bridge, on December 25The 4.94 km long bridge connects the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra, falling in the eastern part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. 16 years, the first freight train ran on it on December 3.

World’s 1st baby:via womb transplanted from dead donorA woman in Brazil who received a womb transplanted from a deceased donor has given birth to a baby girl in the first successful case of its kind. The baby girl was born in Brazil via c-section and weighed 2.55 kg

Decemer 5: World Soil Day
Aims to communicate messages on importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being. It also advocates for sustainable management of soil resources. The Theme for year 2018 is ‘Be the Solution to Soil Pollution’.

SpaceX: launches 64 small satellites
Elon Musk-led SpaceX has successfully launched 64 small satellites into low Earth orbit onboard of its reusable and preflown Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This has set new record in United States of launching satellites in single go.